Bakken turnaround continues for a second quarter in 2017

By Jerry W. Kram

For the first time since 2014, North Dakota saw taxable sales and purchases increase for two consecutive quarters, indicating that the state continues to climb out of the economic doldrums.
For the State of North Dakota, taxable sales and purchases for July, August and September of 2017 were nearly $4.731 billion, a 2.3 percent increase over those months in 2016. In this region, Mountrail and McKenzie Counties saw an increase of about 20 percent and Williams County saw sales jump by nearly 30 percent.
Tioga, Williston and New Town were the three cities that saw the largest increases in sales growth in the state, growing by nearly 30 percent.
The last time the state saw two consecutive quarters of growth was in the fourth quarter of 2014 and the first quarter of 2015.